Many machine parts which require a very short machining time are often manually fed into clamping apparatus to hold the part during the machining process. A parts-processing machine, such as the STUDMASTER.RTM. described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,209,094 and 5,329,796, is representative of a machine which fits this category. In this case, the machining operations are threading, chamfering and stamping of metal rods. Parts are manually inserted into a power-operated clamp on the bed of the machine which holds the rods while they are processed.
This act of hand-inserting parts into the machine part clamp is extremely effective, except in the case of very small parts, such as threaded nuts or short, small-diameter studs. Smaller parts may not be sufficiently clamped and because they may be difficult for the operator to handle, insertion and removal to and from the clamp is slow. Furthermore, placing the operator's fingers close to the clamp could also be dangerous. There is, therefore, a need for a clamping system for small machine parts which is fast, accurate and safe.
The most pertinent patent prior art of which the applicant is aware includes U.S. Pat. No. 207,620 issued to J. Parmelee on Sep. 3, 1878; U.S. Pat. No. 3,712,386 issued to R. Peters on Jan. 23, 1993; U.S. Pat. No. 4,2 15,871 issued to Hirsch et al on Aug. 5, 1980; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,943,071 issued to Srebot et al on Jul. 24, 1990. While all of these patents are pertinent in that they show article-grasping collets, none singularly or in combination with others teaches or suggests the novel and unobvious features of the claimed invention.